During the Civil War, several hundred women disguised themselves as men and left their homes to serve their country. Many enlisted because they had no means of supporting themselves after a loved one enlisted. Frances Clayton was one of these women, taking the name Jack Williams so she could fight in the Union Army with her husband Elmer. Although the Claytons lived in Minnesota, they enlisted in a regiment from Missouri. Frances Clayton served in both the artillery regiment and the cavalry. On February 13, 1852, the mother of three children was wounded in action during the battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, where the Union was finally victorious after a three-day battle. Her identity remained hidden, and after being honorably discharged she returned to Minnesota as a widow after her husband died at the Battle of Stones River on December 31, 1862.